Extreme UV radiation generating device comprising a contamination captor

Abstract

The invention relates to an improved EUV generating device having a contamination captor for “catching” contamination and/or debris caused by corrosion or otherwise unwanted reactions of the tin bath.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. Extreme UV radiation generating device comprising:
 a plasma generating device, 
 at least one tin supply system having a supply reservoir in fluid communication with said plasma generating device adapted to supply said plasma generating device with liquid tin, wherein said tin supply system comprises at least one supply means for the supply of tin, and 
 at least one contamination captor at least partly in contact with the tin supplied in said supply means, wherein said contamination captor:
 is equipped at its outer surface at least partly, essentially with a material which has a contact angle of ≦90° to a liquid phase of the system of tin and iron and/or to the combination of liquid tin and the corrosive reaction product FeSn2; and 
 is capable of being moved with a speed of ≧0.1 mm/s and ≦50 mm/s. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The extreme UV radiation generating device of  claim 1 , wherein the contamination captor is equipped with a material with a contact angle of ≦80°. 
     
     
       3. The extreme UV radiation generating device of  claim 1 , wherein the contamination captor is capable of being moved with a speed of ≧10 mm/s and ≦30 mm/s. 
     
     
       4. The extreme UV radiation generating device of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one contamination captor is provided in a distance of ≧10 mm and ≦2 cm of a wall of the tin supply system. 
     
     
       5. The extreme UV radiation generating device according to  claim 1 , wherein the contamination captor material with a low contact angle includes, preferably is essentially made of, at least one covalent inorganic solid material. 
     
     
       6. A system comprising an extreme UV radiation generating device of  claim 1 , the system being used in one or more of the following applications:
 Semiconductor lithography, 
 metrology, 
 microscopy, 
 fission, 
 fusion, 
 soldering. 
 
     
     
       7. A method of cleaning and/or purifying tin in an extreme UV radiation generating device comprising a plasma generating device, at least one tin supply system having a supply reservoir in fluid communication with said plasma generating device adapted to supply said plasma generating device with liquid tin, whereby said tin supply system comprises at least one supply means for the supply of tin, and at least one contamination captor which is equipped at its outer surface at least partly, essentially, with a material which has a contact angle of ≦90° to a liquid phase of the system of tin and iron and/or to the combination of liquid tin and the corrosive reaction product FeSn 2 ; the method comprising the step of:
 moving at least one contamination captor at least partly inside the liquid tin with a speed of ≧0.5 mm/s and ≦10 mm/s.